As the demand for remote work, schooling, medical services, and retail continues to rise, augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) are proving worthwhile to both the providers and consumers of these services.

On the latest episode of Explain to Shane, I was joined by David Scurlock, founder and CEO of In Your FACE Learning and Training Academy, which aims to bring XR and other cutting-edge innovations to those with limited access to emerging technology. David’s programs seek to leverage young people’s interest in technology and gaming applications through interactive and immersive educational activities, but they are also highly portable for all ages. We discussed these and other endeavors David has been pursuing around AR and XR.

Below is an edited and abridged transcript of our talk. You can listen to this and other episodes of Explain to Shane on AEI.org and subscribe via your preferred listening platform. You can also read the full transcript of our discussion here. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review, and tell your friends and colleagues to tune in.

Shane Tews: To get us started, talk about your professional experience in education and workplace development, along with what made you want to incorporate XR into your teaching regime.

David Scurlock: I got a degree in business marketing then went into sales with IBM and stayed in the technology space. So I’ve always had a fascination with technology. I did a little bit of gaming as I grew up and enjoyed that, but then I pivoted on my career and went into training and development. Specifically, I was doing product training. Many times it was new product training, working with anyone from a salesperson to a customer service representative to a technical expert.

It was actually because of a business challenge that we started looking at using technology for training. It had just so happened I was with an organization that had to train technicians on new flat-screen TVs. The business challenge was: It’s too expensive to bring so many TVs in and have everybody get this hands-on experience like they did, let’s say, with a washer or dryer. The manufacturers started saying we needed to do some of this virtually, and that’s where I got the initial exposure.

What is the most memorable training seminar you have conducted in XR?

Just two weeks ago, I attended a conference that kind of blended music and technology for individuals that had been incarcerated—a couple of them for many years. They were part of a program to help them reintegrate into society. We used immersive technology; I had the Oculus and HoloLens, and we were just educating and giving them the experience of how this technology can be used in learning things. To my surprise, a couple of the gentlemen had actually been musicians in the past.

But let’s look beyond fun things like music. Some incarcerated individuals don’t know how to use an ATM. They don’t know how to use a scanner in a grocery store. They don’t know how to act at the Department of Motor Vehicles. But now, they can put on the headset and immerse themselves in exactly the environments they’re going to have to be in.

What are the key differences and similarities across augmented, virtual, and mixed reality? When would you use one versus the other? 

I would say it’s the content and where they’re receiving information. VR is very immersive; you’ve got the headset or goggles, which is controlling your sight and hearing. I use this with young students who, for example, want to see what it would be like to walk around the International Space Station and experience weightlessness and experience some of the ways astronauts train.

For AR, let’s say you’re working with a technician, and that technician is working on an air conditioner. They need to see the expanded 360-degree view, maybe in a quick video. Augmented is better here because they already have a physical device they’re working on (here, the air conditioner), but they need to be able to visualize what fixes are needed where and how to conduct them.

Virtually every mobile device now has augmented and mixed reality in it (which are very similar). You don’t even need a headset; you can scan a QR code and something comes to life. The air conditioner technician is up there on that roof with a tablet or phone, which then gives them the information needed for that particular unit and they can see the actual unit in 360. “Where are the screws? How do I get this off?” They can do the diagnostic and fix it. They need to be able to do that pretty efficiently, because they’re up there and it might be hot or they’re running a call.

For beginners, VR could again be helpful here. We’re not going to necessarily take a whole classroom of novices up on top of a roof. But now I can take those same images, those same objects, and put them in the headset, and now it’s as if I’m up there on the roof.

Which training models are most in demand right now in the workforce?

Soft skills are in high demand—more so than hard skills like installing an air conditioner unit or learning how to drive a forklift. When working with ex-convicts, there were many who had to go for job interviews. Well, you can practice that in a classroom. There’s now the type of thing where you can create an avatar, which gets into the metaverse. I can now be sitting here in Illinois interacting with you in Washington, DC. And I’m an avatar and I’m practicing with you to help you prepare and rehearse.

By the way, just like we’re recording this podcast, I can record it. And now maybe my coach, parole officer, or manager looks at it and gives me feedback. Training modules for soft skills like anger management, making conversation, and interviewing are becoming more popular, so you have more people developing those kinds of applications for this technology.

Is cost an obstacle for adoption? I know the headsets are still relatively expensive.

Costs are coming down. Meta’s Oculus is in the $200 range, depending on the memory and all that. The devices some universities are using—surgeon, for example—get more into the thousands of dollars. You can even get some that are $5,000 with the “HoloLens.”

And so yes, cost is somewhat of a barrier because obviously as you go up in resolution and computing and rendering power, price increases. And the resolution is getting better quickly. One benefit, though, is that you don’t have to be tethered to a computer. Some of the high-end headsets require a high-end computer so you’re wired, but not all of them.

As the prices come down, developers, education experts, workforce leaders, developers, safety managers, and the like are realizing that using this technology is totally feasible, especially for training. And the positive reinforcement and abundance of chances you get in these modules let you move on from teaching down to a common denominator. When you come into the real environment, the learning curve is much quicker. It’s easier for the facilitator because now everybody is at the same baseline.

What would you recommend for someone who wants to start stepping into this space but isn’t part of an official program like yours? What would you send people to go download?

If you get the Oculus, download “First Start.” That one will get you comfortable with the controllers. Another very good popular one is “Beat Saber.” You have music going and the controllers become sabers, which improves hand-eye coordination because you have to move and can really get a workout in. Another good one on the Oculus is a mediation app called “TRIPP.” It really gets you immersed and breathing. Some of these free; most you download for maybe $15.

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